Anthracite, charcoal, slate. As I researched Saint-Flour (Cantal), its color scheme had me on edge. What if the town turned out to be depressing and desolate?
I’m sorry, Saint-Flour. I so underestimated you.
(If you’re new here and want to learn more about the France in Between project, take a look here.)
Glorious Grey
“For me, it’s important to experience aesthetic shock, which sets in motion our imagination, our emotions, our feelings, and our thoughts.” Pierre Soulages
Cathédrale Saint Pierre, summer morning light
I bumbled into Saint-Flour without having studied the lay-out. After squeezing through two alarmingly narrow streets, I quickly found myself smack dab on the Place d’Armes, the main square. I had seen separate photos of its grey cathedral and equally grey historical monuments, but I wasn’t prepared for the overall visual effect.
Samples of Saint-Flour grey
The cathedral especially tugged at me. Its sturdy Gothic architecture gave off an air of satisfying solidity, while the interior, rendered more luminous by a daubing of lighter color over the basalt stones, struck just the right balance between serenity and glory.
I had several opportunities to get back to the cathedral and loved seeing the grey “change” with the light as the day went on.
Plagued by overtourism Saint-Flour is NOT, so summer is a fine time to visit — but I do suggest a sunny day.
Gleaming Grey
I left the main square filled with a new-found love for dark stone. But it had never crossed my mind that the town’s modern shops and businesses would also be into the grey scene.
Not all storefronts followed the grey dress code, but it was fun to see how many bought into it. And you’ll never need to look for a bench to relax on: slabs of stone, some carved and some rough, are placed strategically all over town.
6,423 Sanflorains live here, anchoring Saint-Flour firmly as a petite ville. However, it serves as main base for upwards of 30,000 people from the surrounding villages and countryside. As such, it benefits from an array of shops, restaurants and services befitting a larger urban area.
Gloomy Grey
One of my goals on France in Between is to evoke the challenges facing smaller cities. Depopulation of town centers is one of them.
This too is downtown
The issue is not unique to Saint-Flour — far from it. The vast majority of smaller French cities have their share of pretty ghostly streets right in the town center.
Sure, the buildings are fascinating and Very Certifiably Old. But they were built for Very Different Times, and our era hasn’t found how to keep them all thriving.
Getting away from Grey
Saint-Flour is of course not all grey. Quite a few buildings have been covered with some sort of substance that I know nothing about, letting a bit of basalt peek through around the windows and doors. I quite liked this look.
Others have kept part of their stone foundation front and center, while gussying up the top.
The Saint-Flour Theater
I was struck by Saint-Flour’s architecture and how much there was to see and do in this funky little town perched on a volcanic rock spur just above the A75 freeway, an hour south of Clermont-Ferrand. In my next edition, I’ll be sharing more about what you should visit there — because there’s plenty.
I’ve always loved the way these rural French towns use and subsequently blend so well with the local stone..
I’ve never visited St-Flour but your description is enticing… I’m looking forward to next weeks post immensely..!
PS - tomorrow I’m off to Cahors to meet friends for the day…! X
I had heard of Saint-Flour, but knew nothing about it! Now I want to see what else there is to know about this intriguing grey city. As usual. Terrific writing and photos! I especially like the photo of the quaint street with the old row houses.